


Second Chances

by TheSoundOfThunderstorms



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Giveaway fic, Soulmate AU, a sort of different take on it, and poor fareeha just wants to figure things out, oh boy angela is so scared
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-24 13:29:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12013746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSoundOfThunderstorms/pseuds/TheSoundOfThunderstorms
Summary: Sometimes fear takes away your first chance.





	Second Chances

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DamesNGames](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DamesNGames/gifts).



> Hope you enjoy reading :)

“Angela!”

Jesse was desperately knocking on the door to her room. He tried not to move too much, the crying girl in his arms keeping him from just kicking the door in. It was late, hardly anyone was up walking around. _Please open up. Please._

Just as he was about to give up, the door slid open, revealing the tired face of his night time savior.

“Jesse?” Angela straightened when she took in the sight before her. Jesse was carrying a crying Fareeha. She could see a splattering of red running down the back of Fareeha’s white shirt. Jesse’s hands were smeared in it, it looked like he tried to stop the bleeding. “What are you doing? She needs to get to the medbay.” She was already out of her room, trying to push him down the hall.

“Now wait just a minute.” Jesse was like a stone wall. He wasn’t moving. “Can’t you do something for her here?” The desperation in his eyes spoke only one story.

_He’s trying to cover it up._ “There’s a lot of blood. She might need stitches.” She tried again to pull him towards the medbay. No luck.

“Please, just take a look. It might not be as bad as it looks.” By this point, Fareeha had stopped crying. Nothing but the sound of Jesse’s voice echoed down the dark hallway. “See? She even stopped crying. It can’t be that bad. Right ‘Ree?”

Fareeha had stayed quiet. Small hands reached up to wipe away the trail of tears as she huffed in Jesse’s arms.

“Fareeha,” Angela ignored Jesse, deciding it was better to talk to the injured girl herself, “how badly does it hurt?”

Nothing.

A sigh. “Ana’s going to find out about this Jesse. It’s better that we get her to the medbay than try and patch her up in my room. I’m not even a doctor yet.”

“Please?”

The young voice muffled by Jesse’s shirt barely carried through the air.

_She wants to keep it from Ana._ “Fareeha…” Angela’s eyes softened at the realization. _Jesse’s not trying to hide it, Fareeha is._

“Please Angela?” Fareeha finally lifted her head to look at Angela. “I probably won’t get to play with Jesse again if mama finds out.”

Angela stepped back, making room for Jesse to walk through. Her intimidating stance was the only thing keeping him out of the room. “Two conditions.” She pointed to Fareeha first. “You have to tell me what happened.” She moved her hand, pointing now at Jesse. “And you have to take her to the medbay if it’s serious.”

Fareeha shyly nodded her head as Jesse hurriedly pushed past the concerned blonde.

Jesse had put her down on Angela’s bed, helping Fareeha sit up. “What do you need me to do?”

Angela grabbed her medical bag from under the bed, pulling out a pair of gloves. She took a brief glance at the back of Fareeha’s shirt. _It’s on the left shoulder._ “Just go stand in the corner.” A pause. “And don’t look.”

Jesse wasted no time in getting out of the way. If he wasn’t needed, he wasn’t going to try and meddle with things. He knew he had a habit of making things worse.

Angela took a seat next to Fareeha, the covers pooling together under her weight. “Fareeha, is it alright if I look under your shirt to see your back?”

A small nod.

“Okay, thank you.” Carefully, gloved fingers peeled back the blood-soaked shirt. Angela took note of the amount sticking to the white material. There was so much blood, it covered most of her shoulder, almost like…

“How did you get hurt Fareeha?”

Fareeha took to playing with her hands. “I was trying to run from Jesse. And then I ran into something in Uncle Torb’s workshop. It felt sharp and it hurt.”

“Jesse?” At this point, she’d take any explanation. Anything to explain away the sheer amount of blood.

Jesse scratched at his head, trying to recall the moment. “She went running into Torbjörn’s shop and ran past those piles of scrap metal he’s got lying around. Next thing I know, she’s on the ground trying to reach for the shoulder.” He dropped his hand at his side, pointedly staring at the wall. “Now, I’ve seen a lot of blood in my years, but I swear I was gonna pass out when I finally caught up to her.”

_Scrap metal._ Blue eyes examined Fareeha’s skin. _There’s no lacerations._ It all just looked red and angry. Her other hand pulled on the shirt, looking for any tears. Nothing. There was no other explanation.

Everything sped down as she reached out, wiping away some of the blood. Her breath caught, a cold shock traveling through her body. Etched into tan skin was a feather. A white feather under a sea of blood.

“Jesse.”

“Is she gonna be okay?” He peeked a brown eye to the bed.

“Yes, she’ll be fine.” She sighed, dragging the crimson stained shirt down. “Get some sleep. I’ll take her back to Ana later.”

Jesse turned around. He was still worried. “Are you sure? She doesn’t need stitches?”

“Positive.”

He stood there mulling everything over. “Well…if you’re sure.” A smile to Fareeha. “I’ll come check on you tomorrow ‘Ree.”

When Jesse was gone, Angela got up from the bed, walking towards the small bathroom connected to her room. She came back with a damp washcloth. “Can I lift your shirt again?”

“Yes.”

Angela slid the shirt up again, pressing the damp cloth at the mess of blood. More feathers came to light, angry skin dyed with lines of black and pools of white. Angela stopped after revealing a full wing. She eyed the other half of the mess of blood. _That should be the blue wing._

“Fareeha, do you know about soulmates?”

“They’re two people that are supposed to be together.”

Angela resumed her cleaning of the blood. “Yes, that’s exactly it. And you know about the soul marks?”

Fareeha shook her head.

“It so soul mates can find each other. They usually appear at the age of sixteen.” Blue feathers appeared after each wipe of the damp cloth. “Some get them early.”

As rare as it was to even have a soulmate, soul marks in children only appeared for one reason. They met who they were meant to be with. And it was always violent. Like a rushed attempt to speed up the inevitable.

“What happens when they get the marks early?” Fareeha took a sudden interest in the topic.

Angela paused, just holding the bloodied cloth in her hand. “The first ever recorded instance of it happening told the story of two children who were seemingly never supposed to meet.” Her hand moved on its own, getting at the little spots of blood she missed. “It was in a refugee camp. Two screams heard in the dead of night, each of them clutching onto a blood covered arm. When they found the children, it was a surprise to find that they had the same mark.”

Fareeha stayed silent for a moment. “What were the marks?”

“Cobras.” Every trace of blood was gone, nothing but of beautiful pair of blue and white wings left. “They each had a cobra.”

“Do the marks mean anything?”

“I think they do. Cobras are protectors. Both of the children grew up to become soldiers.”

Fareeha reached behind, her small fingers trying to touch behind her shoulder. “What does mine mean?”

_Smart girl._ “Fareeha, you’re meant to fly.” She couldn’t help but smile back at the excitement on the girl’s face.

“They’re wings?”

Angela stood up, walking towards her dresser. “Yes. A beautiful pair of wings on your left shoulder.” She opened the second drawer, pulling out an old shirt that had shrunk over the years. “Here, you can check out your soul mark in the bathroom while you put this on. I don’t want your mother thinking the worst when I bring you back.”

The girl was off the bed in one bound, hurrying to grab the offered shirt so she could get to the bathroom faster. Angela found herself giggling at the amazed sounds coming from the bathroom. Fareeha must have forgotten about the pain, too engrossed with her soul mark to dwell on any lingering aches.

Fareeha came barreling out of the door a few minutes later. Ruined shirt in hand, she looked excited, little sparkles shining in her eyes. “I can’t wait to meet my soulmate.”

The smile on Angela’s face faded a fraction. “And why’s that?”

A smirk. “It’s obvious.”

“Well, you’re going to have to enlighten me because it’s not obvious to me.”

“My soulmate and I,” Fareeha held a hand to her chest, “we’re meant to fly together.”

Slipping on a pair of shoes, Angela led the younger girl to the door. “Come on miss young romantic, let’s get you back to your mother.”

Fareeha just grinned as she was basically pushed out of Angela’s room.

It wasn’t long until they reached Ana’s door. Angela was quick to knock, not wasting any time to get the girl back to her mother. The door opened a moment later, relief flooding deep brown eyes as they caught sight of Fareeha.

Perceptive as always, Ana immediately zoned in on the bloodied t-shirt in Fareeha’s hands. “What happened?”

Before Angela could say anything, Fareeha excitedly exclaimed, “I have a soulmate!”

It was impressive. Ana held it in so well. Angela only noticed an eye twitch as the only indication of how she felt about the news.

“Oh Fareeha,” Ana knelt to bring her daughter in a hug, “I’m so happy you’re meant to find love.” A comforting smile. “Although, it’s already late.” Her smile widened at her daughter’s pouting face. “Ah, ah. None of that.” A quick kiss to her cheek. “Go get ready for bed. We can talk all about it when you’re in bed.”

Fareeha seemed to liven up at the rest of her mother’s words, already going inside to get ready for bed.

A tired hand ran through dark hair. The smile disappeared, replaced with downturned lips and furrowed eyebrows. “When did it happen?”

“Jesse was still playing with Fareeha when it happened.”

Ana pressed her fingers hard against her scalp, already frustrated with the situation. “You don’t think it’s anyone here do you?” Concern clouded her eyes.

Angela used every ounce of willpower to keep herself from looking away, painfully aware of the mark on her right shoulder. “No, to my knowledge, no one else here has a soul mark. It might have been from when she visited the city earlier with Reinhardt. Might have met someone in passing.” Her words didn’t seem to relieve any of Ana’s worry.

“I hope you’re right Angela.”

Angela felt a hot fire starting to burn in her neck. The heat was unbearable.

“Me too.”

And they said their goodbyes. Ana cutting the conversion short when Fareeha called after her. Angela walked back to her room considerably slower than normal. The weight on her shoulders was just too much. She barely noticed when she got to her room, slumping to her bed in a haze.

“She’s just twelve.” Shaky fingers grabbed a fistful of the sheets, holding them in a tight grip. “She deserves to fall in love like everybody else. Not…” A single tear fell down her cheek. _Not with someone like me._

And she lied there, trying to come up with _something_ that could make the situation better. “I just won’t tell her.” She wiped away the drying tear with the sleeve of her shirt. _If I don’t tell her, she might get to fall for someone else. And that’ll be the best for everyone._

Mind made up, Angela kicked off her shoes. She lifted the covers to burrow beneath them.

She knew the path she was heading down. If Fareeha was meant to be her soulmate, then that meant she was to follow a similar path. Angela brought her pillow over her ear, trying to drown out the sound of her thoughts.

She couldn’t bear the idea of her soulmate dying because of her.

-

It was a habit now. Angela put a hand out, tracing patterns along the wall as she took slow steps up the stairs. She never used to go on the roof much. The only times being when someone was in critical condition and she’d have to meet them on the roof. Other than that, she tended to stay in the medbay. But it’s been a couple of months since returning to Gibraltar. And Angela found she couldn’t stay away.

The smell of salt air hit her nose with the opening of the door. The familiar sound of waves crashing against the cliff side sounded in the distance. Angela took her new usual spot at the railing, arms crossed on top so she could lean on them. And she watched. Blue eyes focused on the gleaming figure in the sky, warmth flooded her heart and a smile sneaked its way onto her face the longer she stared.

It was always so beautiful to watch Fareeha soar through the sky. The sun reflecting off the shining blue and the way she’d maneuver so effortlessly. Angela liked to pretend that Fareeha practiced with a smile on her face, her laughter catching in the wind to float off into the deep blue of the sea.

She’d stay there on the roof for however long Fareeha was out flying. Each time it would end all too quickly and Angela would leave before Fareeha would even notice her there. Except this time Fareeha practiced for longer than normal. And this time, Angela was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t notice when Fareeha had spotted her.

The sound of metal landing behind her brought Angela out of her thoughts. When she turned around she was face to face with the woman in the Raptora suit.

Angela couldn’t move.

Those intense eyes staring at her from behind the golden visor had her pinned to the railing. The suit gave Fareeha a taller stance, Angela felt the thumping of her heart from having to look up. Blood pumped to her face when she watched Fareeha take off the helmet. The sight of hair sticking to tanned skin had her clutching to the railing, knees going weak.

And Fareeha just stared. Curious eyes roamed Angela’s face, lips in a slight part as she concentrated. It drove Angela crazy. That was the look Fareeha gave her when they first met again months ago. When they’d bump into each other in the hallway and in the moments before each shared mission. It was always the same look.

It made her heart stop every time.

“You stayed.”

“Huh?” Angela snapped her eyes away from Fareeha. She focused on the ground and tried to calm herself down.

“I always see you here. But you always leave.”

Nervous hands gripped the railing tighter. _She knew this whole time?_ “It’s because…” Angela found herself lifting her head, compelled to gaze into those intense eyes.

“Because?” The wind picked up, blonde hair covering Angela’s face in one swoop. Fareeha couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her lips, reaching out to tuck the uncooperative strands of hair behind Angela’s ears.

A trail of fire burned along her skin as gloved fingers moved her hair back. It made absolutely no sense. Fareeha’s skin wasn’t even touching hers. “I don’t want to bother you.” _Liar._

“You could never bother me.” Brown eyes looked behind Angela for a moment, taking in the sight of the setting sun. She focused her gaze back to Angela, smiling to try and ease away the nervous look Angela had. “Would you mind sitting with me for a bit?”

Angela shook her head, not trusting her words. Her hands let go of the railing, sliding down the bars to lower herself to the ground. She watched as Fareeha sat down in one move, transfixed on the ways expert hands started to take off pieces of the Raptora suit. She watched until Fareeha’s top half was covered in nothing but her flight suit. The way Fareeha ran her fingers through dark hair had Angela fiddling with her thumbs, trying her best to control the spike in her pulse.

“It seems like there’s something bothering you.” Fareeha had her eyes closed, head leaning against the railing.

_Would you hate me if I told you now?_ “There’s nothing bo-”

Fareeha started laughing at how fast Angela tried to drop the topic. “There _is_ something bothering you. You look so nervous.”

_Of course, she would catch on to that._ So, Angela finally asked what was bothering her the most. “Have you ever fallen in love?”

She wasn’t expecting _that_. Fareeha blinked a few times, trying to focus her thoughts on the question. “Does a love for flying count?”

Lips twisted in frown, trying their best to hide back a smile threatening to burst free. Angela gave Fareeha a light shove. “I’m serious Fareeha.”

“I tried to.”

Angela’s smile fell at the words that pierced through her heart.

“I tried so hard to find my soulmate.” Fareeha shrugged her shoulders. “I found nothing but disappointment. So, I tried to find something that looked like love. I thought that if I could convince myself enough, I could fall in love like everyone else. But…”

“It didn’t work.” Her blood froze as she watched Fareeha shake her head. Cold fingers instinctively reached out to smooth circles on the back of Fareeha’s hand.

“So, I stopped looking.”

“Fareeha…” _I’m sorry._

She was smiling again. “It’s okay. Don’t sound so sad for me.”

“But it’s…” _It’s all my fault._

“I just figured that since I do have a soulmate, I’ll meet them one day. I just have to be patient. Or…,” Fareeha let out an exaggerated sigh, “I’ll probably end up a hopeless romantic. Just _so_ unlucky in love even though I have a soulmate.”

The guilt burned up to her neck. “Don’t say that.”

“And why not?”

“Because one day you’ll find them. Like you said, patience.” _Because one day…_

“Yeah?” Fareeha leaned her head against the railing again. She was smiling up at the sky that was half night and half day.

“Yes, I have a good feeling about it.” _One day, I won’t be afraid to love you._

-

She never liked seeing Fareeha in the medbay. Some days Angela could swear she felt the pain too. It didn’t matter the kind of injury, if Fareeha came in with so much as a paper cut, Angela was quick to drag her nearest colleague to treat the soldier.

This time Fareeha came in with a busted lip and a big bruise forming on her cheek. There was no one there besides Angela.

“What happened?” Angela got up from her chair to lead Fareeha to the nearest examination table. Even though she preferred not to treat the woman herself, she wasn’t about to ignore her either.

“I...” The explanation died on her lips when cool fingers gently inspected the damage. Any touch from Angela made her lose track of her thoughts. “I got…”

“You got?” Angela tried to coax the rest of the words out of Fareeha. It was important the soldier answered her question.

“I got kicked in the face.”

“Did you lose any teeth?” She could see the that Fareeha was running her tongue along her teeth by the movement coming from inside her cheeks.

“No.”

“Does it hurt when you open you jaw?”

“Well yeah, I just got kicked in the face.”

Angela just smiled at the smart reply. “I mean does it feel like your jaw’s not aligned correctly or can you open your mouth significantly without there being intense pain.”

“Oh…” Fareeha felt her face going hot. “No.”

“Any difficulty breathing?”

“I can breathe fine.”

“Alright, I think you have a bad case of the ouchies.”

Fareeha burst out into laughter, trying her hardest to stop when the laughing caused her face to hurt. “Ow, ow.” A hand instinctive went to cover her cheek, eyes wincing when that turned out to be a bad idea as well.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t think it was that funny!” Angela crossed the room with guilt in her eyes. She grabbed a bottle of disinfectant and reached for one of the compact cold compresses. When she got back to Fareeha, the soldier seemed to have gotten control over her laughter.

Fareeha wanted to say something, to reassure Angela that she’d be fine but the moment those hands started working she couldn’t for the life of her find her voice. Her heart thumped slowly in her chest. There was a trail of bubbling warmth that followed Angela’s precise movements.

Angela held the cotton round to Fareeha’s lips, the constant pressure helping to stop any further bleeding. She watched as brown eyes refused to leave hers. They were searching for something. Angela nearly jumped when Fareeha’s hand brushed against her wrist. She was too absorbed in those eyes to notice the subtle movements of Fareeha’s hand.

She could feel a tingling in her right shoulder. Angela tried to ignore the feeling. She pulled her hand back, trying not to feel guilty when Fareeha’s face fell. The rattling of the paper pouch encasing the cold compress was the only sound in the room. Angela quickly took out the compress, peeling away the back and gently pressing the adhesive side to Fareeha’s hurt cheek. When everything seemed in order, Angela backed away from the table, pointedly avoided the eyes trying to catch her sight.

“Angela.” Fareeha jumped down from the table, careful steps walking towards the doctor. “I wanted to know-”

The medbay doors opened, Lena walked in sporting a similar injury to Fareeha. “Hey Angela, my face is killing me, you got some of those cold things laying around here? Hana’s been kicking arse all day long, challenging everyone in the gym.”

The doctor was quick to get what Lena needed, relieved to have found an escape route. She knew what Fareeha wanted to say, but she still wasn’t ready. Grabbing another compress, she tossed it across the room to the cheerful woman. Blue eyes caught sight of Fareeha looking her way, lips stretched in a thin line. She prompted Fareeha to speak again, knowing full well that she wouldn’t with Lena in the room with them.

“What did you want to say Fareeha?”

“I wanted to know why…” Fareeha just looked over at Lena, watching on as the woman slapped the compress onto her face. She sighed. “We can talk about it some other time.” Her feet started moving on their own, bringing them to the doors that would take her out of the medbay.

A hand clutched onto her forehead as she walked down the hall. She felt awful, like someone was trying to pull out her heart. Everything seemed to always go back to Angela.

_I want to know why it’s you._

-

She was in love. She was in love with someone that wasn’t her soulmate.

Fareeha sat at an empty table as she barely ate her breakfast. She had bumped into Angela that morning, feeling like a mess of emotions when the doctor smiled at her.

It was frustrating to feel that way. To look at her and see a life together. To accidentally brush fingertips and feel the sparks bursting through her veins. What else could she call it but love? And what could she describe it but as a horrible idea?

She felt a throbbing in her head the more she thought about it.

There was movement on the other side of the table. Fareeha could make out a figure taking the seat opposite her as she continued to stare at her food. They just had a cup of coffee, the aroma wafting across the table.

“Is there something bothering you?”

Fareeha’s head snapped up at Angela’s voice. “No.” _You are._

“You’re not eating.”

“I am, I’m just tired.” Fareeha picked up her fork and stuffed a quick forkful into her mouth.

“That was the first bite you took in five minutes.”

“Are you saying you’ve been staring at me for the past five minutes?”

Angela realized she had backed herself into a corner. “I was concerned is all. I don’t want you to get hurt because you didn’t eat enough.”

The fork swirled around in the plate of food. Angela did have a point, Fareeha was supposed to leave in the afternoon for an assignment. But Angela was also the reason why she couldn’t eat that morning.

“I’ll be okay. I always come out on top.”

Angela frowned at Fareeha’s response. “You need to eat.”

_What I need is…_ Fareeha shook her head at the thought forming in her mind. It wasn’t quite right. “I’ll bring something to eat with me. I’m just not feeling it right now.” _What I want is you._

Angela took a sip of her coffee. It was very concerning that Fareeha was brushing this off like it didn’t matter. “I care about you. So that means I care about what happens to you.” She put her cup down, extended a hand to touch her fingers to Fareeha’s arm. “I need you to come back in one piece.”

It felt like her nerves were on fire. Tentatively, Fareeha covered Angela’s hand with her own. And she didn’t pull away. She didn’t turn her eyes. She just smiled and pushed the plate towards Fareeha.

“Please eat.”

Her stomach started growling, the thought of devouring the whole plate becoming very enticing. So Fareeha picked up the fork again and ate.

-

There was something to be said about acceptance. How it cleared the hazy mind and cut away at self-made chains.

Fareeha felt good. It was like her whole body was floating. Absolutely nothing could take that feeling away from her. Because she had accepted it. She fell in love with someone she wasn’t supposed. It was a bad idea. It probably wouldn’t go anywhere. But she didn’t care. It’s what her heart wanted, why did anything else even matter?

So, she sat there with a wide grin on her face as Angela fussed over the gash over her cheek from a stray bullet. Of course she did the fussing from the side, watching with hawk-like eyes the way the other medic treated the wound.

There were a few, “Are you sure about that?” and a lot more, “Be careful!” when Fareeha winced. Fareeha wasn’t surprised that the other medic took off out of the medbay as soon as he was done patching the soldier up.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore does it?” Angela took a place by Fareeha’s side, a soft finger running along the unmarred skin of Fareeha’s cheek.

“You know you just intimidated the man out of here right?”

“Yes, yes I’m scary. You still didn’t answer my question.”

“I don’t feel a thing.”

Angela nodded at the words. “I just can’t stand to know that you’re in pain.” She brought both her hands on Fareeha’s shoulders, smiling at just how happy Fareeha seemed to be right now. “Although, for someone who just got grazed by a bullet, you seem entirely too happy about it.”

Fareeha shrugged. “I’m just enjoying myself. Appreciating the little things in life.”

“Such as?”

“Having a world renown surgeon fussing over me.”

Angela pursed her lips at the response. But then she was right back to smiling. She leaned forward, bringing in the much too happy soldier into a tight hug. “You’re worth fussing over.”

And that feeling was there. Making her feel so warm. Making everything seem so good. Because she was in love, and she didn’t deny it anymore.

-

“Scissors, where the hell do they keep scissors?” Frantic hands searched through cabinets and drawers. The abandoned kitchen was torn apart in Angela’s search, the blonde careful to steer clear of the windows. The last drawer she yanked open had her breathing a sigh of relief.

Scissors in hand, Angela waded through the mess she made on the kitchen floor. She brushed aside scattered pieces of armor. She ducked to the ground when a bullet pierced through a window.

“Damn snipers.” Fareeha looked behind her, checking to see if Angela was okay. She was slumped against the bottom cabinets, shaking from the pain of the bullets littering her back. Angela did all she could with her staff, but the bullets still needed to come out.

“Hold still while I cut the suit. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Holding still.” She tried to bring her arm up for a salute but the pain kept it limp at her side.

The scissors cut through the black fabric, revealing an expanse of blood and skin. The scissors were thrown to the side, quick hands reaching for her staff. Angela popped open a compartment on the staff, pulling out gloves and everything else she needed to dig out the bullets.

Fareeha flinched at the feeling of a needle sticking into her back. And then everything was so blissfully numb. The clink of bullets hitting the ground echoed through the kitchen. “Angela?”

“Hmm?” Skilled hands were working on the final bullet.

“Remember when you asked me if I ever fell in love?” The last bullet fell to the ground, nothing but the sound of gunfire sounded in the kitchen.

Angela focused on cleaning away the blood. She tried to push back the feelings bubbling up through her skin. “Yes.”

“I don’t know if I was supposed to but I think I fell for someone.” She shook her head, nearly laughing at what she said. “Actually, I know I did.”

Each glove was pulled off in a second, the two of them bundled together and thrown in the trash across the room. Angela grabbed her staff, holding on tight to try and stop her hands from shaking. She focused on watching the skin before her knit back together. “You did?”

“Yeah.” Fareeha could feel herself nodding along.

Angela couldn’t speak. Her muscles were still and she could barely put her staff down. When her staff clanked loudly to the ground, her hand automatically reached up to the wings on Fareeha’s shoulder. Featherlight touches traced the outline, each stroke serving to calm her down. “Who…” She couldn’t finish her sentence.

The electric feel against her soul mark had Fareeha leaning into the touch. It was comforting and warm. Each touch of Angela’s fingertips sent a burst of heat spreading throughout her shoulder. “You, I fell for you.”

There was a ringing in her ears. Everything moved so slow. Her heart pumped so fast, she could feel the hot blood traveling up her arms. And she started crying. Warm, wet tears streamed down her face, little droplets falling to the ground. Angela bent forward, resting her forehead on that beautiful mark. “Fareeha.”

“I know, I know. It’s probably not a good idea and-” She stopped speaking at the feel of wet lips on her shoulder. It sent a shock down her spine.

“No, no, no. It’s not that.” Angela kissed the mark again, feeling her own mark ignite with sparks. “Let’s just get out of here first.” She sighed into the warm skin, blinking away the last of her tears. “We need to talk.”

“Okay.” Fareeha reached behind, her hand bringing back Angela’s, weaving their fingers together in a firm hold. “Okay.”

-

They got back late into the night. Fareeha had even left her Raptora on the ship, opting to pick it up after she got some sleep. She let herself be led by the hand. Angela took them down several hallways until they finally stopped in front of the doctor’s door.

The door opened with the press of a finger and Angela led them to the bed. The soft blankets gave way beneath their added weight as they sat down.

Angela didn’t waste any time in speaking. “Before I say anything, I just want to let you know that I’m sorry. I should have told you everything from the start. I was scared. I was _so_ scared. But that’s no excuse for what I did.”

Smiling brown eyes gave a reassuring look, waiting for Angela to continue.

“Do you remember the day you got your soul mark?”

“I could never forget.”

“I told you that some people with soulmates just get their mark early but that wasn’t everything.” Angela clenched her fist, fighting back every thought that was telling her to stop. “Children only get their soul mark when they meet their soulmate.”

“I know.”

_I should have known she’d do some research._ “When I saw your mark, I recognized it immediately because it’s the same as mine.”

“I thought you didn’t…” Fareeha felt her mind reeling. Everything was clicking into place so fast.

“I hid it from everyone.” Fingers grabbed at the ends of her shirt, lifting it up and over her head in one movement. “I’m sorry I hid it from you.” A tingle ran down her shoulder at the feel of Fareeha’s hand on her mark. “I thought that since you were so young, there’d somehow be a chance that you would get to fall in love like everyone else. That you would stay safe and live a more peaceful life. My one greatest fear was losing the one I was supposed to love forever.”

“To keep me safe.”

“Yes, to keep you safe. I already knew the path I was set on. I didn’t want something to happen to you just because you wanted to stay near me.” She felt her voice start to crack. “But now I know I was wrong. You ended up fighting anyway because that’s what was in your heart. I was wrong to take away your chance to love because of some ridiculous notion of trying to protect you. I’m so sorry for that.”

Angela couldn’t help the tears from falling. “All I want right now is to love you and be loved by you in return. But it feels so selfish because I took that away from you for so many years.”

“When I first saw you after all those years apart, you took my breath away.” Fareeha grinned at the shocked look on Angela’s face. “I couldn’t stop staring no matter how hard I tried. And the way you’d set my heart pumping away sent my thoughts spiraling. I couldn’t focus on anything but the feeling I felt every time I was near you.”

“But it all makes sense now.” Fareeha started tracing the familiar pair of wings on Angela’s shoulder. “Every blush, nervous stammer, derailed thought, and pounding of my heart was something real. I thought it was just a silly crush, that I’d get over you and find who I was supposed to be with. But all this time I was supposed to be with you.”

“Fareeha, I’m so sorry.” Warm arms wrapped around her waist stopped Angela from shaking. It felt unreal when Fareeha leaned her head atop her shoulder.

“I still have a chance at love, if you let me.”

The tears were streaming in full force. “I don’t deserve you.” _I don’t deserve to be forgiven._

“I forgive you.” She wrapped her arms tighter when the shaking intensified.

“I-I”

“I forgive you.” Hot tears fell to her arms.

Angela turned around in warm arms. Red, puffy eyes locked on with Fareeha’s. And Fareeha was giving her that look. Intense eyes and parted lips. The sight had her gripping onto fistfuls of Fareeha’s shirt. She didn’t even realize that their lips were moving closer, not until she felt an explosion of unparalleled happiness as they met in a kiss. Lips moving against each other in a moment of mesmerizing heat. They were both panting when they parted, huge smiles painted across their faces.

“Did you feel that?” Fareeha reached behind her, hand brushing across her soul mark. “I felt it here too.”

“Oh, you felt something there? I don’t think I did.” Of course she did. “Maybe we should test it out some more?”

“Of course, of course. Can’t be too sure.” She let out an ‘oof’ when Angela tackled her to bed, lips already on hers chasing after euphoric bliss.

-

It was a familiar path. The steps were the same. Same texture on the walls, down to that odd dent. Angela fiddled with her halo, checking everything over on her Valkyrie suit for the tenth time. She stopped right before the door, smiling from ear to ear at what was waiting on the other side.

The doors opened and Angela walked through, her eyes focused on her love waiting for her.

“Are you ready?” A gloved hand outstretched towards Angela.

Angela stepped closer, taking hold of the offered hand. “Yes, I’m ready.”

Waiting just a moment longer, Fareeha started her jets, taking the two of them into the sky. It felt so right, to fly together.

 

 

 


End file.
